Just stuff!

So it has been a while and not much has happened, but a few things have…….

As most of you know, Eli works at CarMax in the parts department. He was working at the Irving store, but asked to be transferred to the Ft. Worth store about a year and half ago. I think that was the best thing he ever did! I think this for two reasons…..1. He is happier there than he was at the Irving store and 2. We get to go COOL places!!! Every year CarMax has a “President’s Club” Banquet (that just means the top CarMax’s get to go to the banquet) and we got to go last year & we get to go again this year!! Last year CarMax paid for us to go to the Gaylord Texan for 1 night and we got an AWESOME meal out of it…probably the best meal I have ever had! This year we get to go to Hyatt Regency on the River Walk in San Antonio and stay one night in December!! I am so excited! We have both been to San Antonio 100 times, but neither one of us has ever stayed in a hotel ON THE RIVER WALK! That is exciting. I cannot wait to go….maybe I will go ahead and start packing…..just joking! J

I am getting ready for the Autumn Extravaganza at our church. I am going to have a booth in the craft fair and also help out with Trunk or Treat for the kids! I have to get to crafting to get all of my items done. It is going to be on Halloween from 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM….come check it out and bring the kids. Tons of fun stuff going on!!!

What else…… oh yeah, for those of you who don’t know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is very important to me. Be sure to get checked…even guys can get Breast Cancer!!!

Eli and I have a lot going on right now in our lives, as I am sure many of you do. I am glad you guys take the time out of your day to read this blog. Thanks for caring about us!

“Do not worry about anything. But pray and ask God for everything you need. And when you pray, always give thanks. And God's peace will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The peace that God gives is so great that we cannot understand it.”
Philippians 4:6-7

Our Saltwater Babies

We bought a saltwater tank about 5 months ago. We have always had a fish tank, but had to get rid of it a couple of years ago when we moved into a townhouse. We always said that when we bought a house we would get a new tank. We have lived in our house for almost 4 years now & we just got a new tank! The best part is that it is a saltwater tank. They are so pretty, but very addicting & kinda expensive. Everyone has told us that they are hard to maintain, but we don't think so. It is no harder to maintain than a fresh water tank. Eli does all of the work, I just feed them. It is his project. They are expensive! The fish, the rocks, the filters....everything but the water is expensive. We love it though. It is so fun to watch them. There are times when we won't even turn the TV on, we will just sit there and watch the fish! Exciting life, I know!

We bought the tank from some friends and it is all down hill from there! We have only killed 2 fish and had to take one back! When we first got the tank set up, they told us to buy these "starter fish" to make sure the water was ready. If they survived then we could get more fish! Now, we have 6 fish, a hermit crab, an anemone, 2 starfish, some live rock, some coral, a feather duster and TONS of snails!

We started with only starfish and then one day there were two! I researched it and found out that if a piece of a starfish gets cut off, another starfish can form out of the broken piece. Strange but true! One day the hermit crab "molted", which means he has shed his exoskeloton! Gross stuff! But it is perfectly normal. See a saltwater tank can be educational too! We have to limit ourselves to buying ONE thing for the tank every payday (which is every other week). Sounds easy, but it's not. I have posted pictures of our saltwater babies! Enjoy!

Things I make and sell

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a "crafter"! I love to craft! It all started as something fun to do in my spare time and then people started asking if they could buy some of my things. Well of course I said yes! Eli is in the process of making me a website and an Ebay store. I will let you know when they are up and running! In the mean time, I have posted some pictures of some of the tings I have made or I am planning to make. The church is having an "Autumn Extravaganza" on Halloween. This is like a Fall Festival. There will be food, children activities, auctions, live music, live entertainment, and of course A CRAFT FAIR!!! I will have a booth set up there with some of my stuff! My first craft fair...I hear, once you do one, you will be hooked and want to do them all! Well see.

I also enjoy making & decorating cakes. I haven't sold any of these. They are not that great, but I enjoy doing them. It is a lot if fun. I have posted pictures of some that I have made for friends & family. Let me know what you think.

My Weekend!!

So, I have to go on this “Staff Retreat” for work. There are 7 of us that are going to a place just outside of Lake Texoma. We are leaving today and coming back on Wednesday. I went last year with them, even though I was only part time staff. It is a lot of fun, but this time I don’t want to go! I don’t know what my deal is, but I don’t want to leave my husband. I don’t like being 2 hours away. What if something happens? I know, I always think the worst! I know this sounds sappy……but I can’t stand to be away from him! He is my everything. I am going to miss him so much. I am sure I will be writing on this blog the whole time I am gone from him. I have brought plenty of things to do to keep me busy when we are not meeting. Oh yeah, and I have been having nightmares EVERY single night, so now when I have them, I will be in a hotel room all alone!! Guess what? There are no TV’s in the rooms so I brought Eli’s laptop & plenty of non-scary movies!!! Oh well, if I get scared, I will go knock on everyone else’s door and wake someone else up! Don’t think I won’t, because I will in a heart beat. I will go wake Connie, the mom of the group up!

Let me tell you about our group…….there is Connie (Office Manager), the mom of the group! She just came in here and told me to clean up my desk before we leave. J She also makes sure everyone goes to the doctor. She is always looking out for everyone. I love her to death! It would be a blessing to call her my mom any day. Then there is Susan (Music Director)! She is like the crazy Aunt! You CANNOT be in a bad mood around Susan, she is hilarious! She always has a solution for every problem.
I think she is the funniest person I know. I love her to death too! Then there is Sean (Youth Director), he is my brother from another mother! He is like the brother I never had! He is great. I can talk to him about anything….even chick stuff. Then there is Barbara (Financial Secretary). She is like an older, smarter sister. She is awesome. Then there is me! The “young one” that knows nothing. These people always talk about things that happened in the 1800’s and I never know what they are talking about. I am the CRAZY KID of the bunch, always joking around! Finally, we have the mom & pop of the group. David & Joy (Pastor & Director of Christian Education & his wife). They are the ones always TRING to keep us in line! It never works. We are a tough bunch of people. We joke all the time and call ourselves “The Great Big Dysfunctional Family”. I am truly blessed to work in such a great place with amazing people. The one thing that I will take from this job, if I ever leave, will be the great FRIENDS I have made here. They will ALWAYS be in my life! ALWAYS! As different as we are…..we are all on the same page…..WE LOVE GOD!!!!

Ta Ta for now!!! (TTFN; that’s for Susan)